Ticketing



1960 D. L. TAMACCIO 2,950,555

TICKEI'ING Filed Oct. 28, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1960 0. L. TAMACCIO 2,950,555

TICKETING Oct. 28; 3 sheets-Sheet 3 M5 m f M H k :i

INVENTOR. DA W0 1, WWW/c270 BYW nited rates Patent TICETING David L. Tamaccio, Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pa., assignor to Soabar Company, Piiiifliifi phia, Pa., a corporation of Pemsylvanra Filed Oct. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 770,220

4 Claims. (Cl. 49-23) This invention relates to ticketing of articles, especially those adapted to retain a loop of string in contact therewith, and concerns particularly production of novel string-tickets.

As is well known, it is convenient to label, tag, or otherwise mark articles in commerce with such information as price, size, style, and indicia useful in inventory control or the like. In recent years prospective purchasers at retail, as in department stores and the like, have become accustomed to rely less on sales clerks for information about the goods in which they are interested and more on the manufacturers or merchants marking of the goods. While in some instances the desired marking can be applied directly to the article, this is often impracticable or undesirable, hence the frequent use of in dicia-bearing means temporarily attached to the article but designed to be removed once the informational purpose is served.

Prominent among such indicia-bearing means are adhesive labels, pin-tickets, and string-tickets. While adhesives have developed notably in recent years to where initial lack of adhesion or subsequent loss of adhesion (and consequent failure of adhesive labels to adhere promptly and sufficiently permanently to a wide range of materials) is less of a problem than formerly, it is apparent that such labels are not suitable for use on surfaces of extreme irregularity, delicate texture or finish, or where the presence of the label would tend to detract excessively from the appearance of the article so labeled. Pin-tickets, which are clipped, stapled, or similarly applied, are for obvious reasons limited in their use by the method of application, which is limited principally to operation upon materials penetrable without damage, such as textiles, and may require for their means of application a machine not readily transported to the location of the articles to be ticketed.

The present invention is directed to the string-ticket art, string-tickets not being subject to the limitations mentioned above in connection with adhesive labels and pin-tickets, for example, and being suitable for use on all sorts of articles, merely requiring that some part of the article be adapted to receive the loop of a string around or through it. Of course, for any string-ticket to be completely satisfactory, the string and the ticket proper must not be susceptible to inadvertent separation from one another during handling, shipment, or other ordinary use. Existing string-tickets are excessively subject to this disadvantage, at least unless constructed in a manner and with such material as to be unduly expensive and, therefore, are limited in usefulness.

A primary object of the present invention is provision of a string-ticket having improved resistance to separation of string and ticket. An object is reduction in the consumption and wastage of both string and ticket material in production of a string-ticket. A further object is provision of a strip of string-ticket material in which the string extends along one face of the strip and in contact therewith. Other objects of this invention, to-

rint.

gether with means and methods for attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying diagrams.

Fig. l is a front elevation of a single string-ticket of this invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the stringticket of Fig. 1; Fig. 3A is an enlarged longitudinal section, taken at 3A-3A of Fig. 2, of a portion of the string-ticket of the first two views; and Fig. 3B is an enlarged transverse section of a portion of the same stringticket, taken at 3B-3B of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front ele-t vation of a strip of string-ticket material showing tabs punched in the material to receive the string; Fig. 5 is a like view of the same strip of material with the string added; Fig. 6 is a like view of the same strip with a facing ribbon or sealing strip added; Fig. 7 is a rear elevation corresponding to the front view of Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the article of Fig. 6 notched to delineate individual tickets of the strip. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of a modification of string-ticket according to the present invention; Fig. 10 is a modification of facing ribbon or sealing strip for a string-ticket of the present invention; Fig. 11 is a further modification of facing ribbon therefor; and Fig. 12 is a front elevation of a string-ticket strip employing the facing ribbon of Fig. 11.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing, in a string-ticket having a pair of opposite side edges and an intermediate edge, a component piece with two opposite ends located substantially coincident with the opposite side edges of the ticket, the piece being provided with a tongue-like tab therein oriented away from the intermediate edge; and a string bound to the piece and extending under the tab, with its opposite ends terminating at the opposite edges of the ticket, and having an intermediate portion extending outward in a loop beyond the intermediate edge of the ticket. In particular, the invention contemplates providing such a string-ticket from a strip of sheet material having an aligned row of tabs integral therewith struck therefrom substantially parallel to an edge thereof, and a string extending substantially parallel to that edge along one face of the strip and beneath individual tabs, and at intervals extending loopwise beyond that edge of the strip.

Figs. 1 and 2 show in front and rear elevation, respectively, string-ticket l of this invention. Major rectangular ticket piece 2, oriented with its long sides vertical, has integral tab 3 struck forward from it near the top edge, with the junction of the tab and the body of the ticket piece aligned with that edge, with the tab extending away therefrom. Ribbon-like minor rectangular ticket piece 4 (hereinafter frequently denoted as the sealing strip or facing ribbon) covers a marginal portion of the larger ticket piece along the top edge and including the tab, which is shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 and in full in Fig. 2 (in which the bottom edge of the ribbon appears in broken lines). Extending in a loop above the ticket is string 5, whose ends cross underneath the tab and terminate at the opposite side edges of the ticket between the juxtaposed faces of the two ticket pieces, which are secured adhesively to one another.

Fig. 3A shows portions of the ticket components somewhat enlarged, the ticket being sectioned longitudinally in the vicinity of the right edge of the tab of Fig. 2 and Viewed toward the left. Fig. 3B shows the ticket sectioned transversely (and similarly enlarged) in a View directed downward from the vicinity of the tab junction. These sectional views indicate the resulting substantially planar relationship of the component pieces and reveals in increased detail the path of the string underneath the tab and between the juxtaposed faces of the pieces. p

The side edges of the string-ticket shown in Figs. "1 and 2 are represented as very' slightly crenelated, the

reason for which will be understandable from examination of Fig. 8 which shows a strip of such tickets in front elevation. The intervening views illustrate the formation of that ticket strip.

Fig. 4 shows (in front elevation) component strip'12 with row of tabs 13 struck forward from it at regular intervals near the top edge. Fig. 5 shows the strip of the previous view strung with string 15, which extends parallel to the top edge at about the level of the junction of the tabs, crossing under each tab and looping upwardly beyond the top edge of the strip above each tab.

Fig. 6 shows string-ticket strip :11 formed by addition of facing ribbon 14 or sealing strip to cover the tabs and the string (except where it loops above the strip) of the preceding View. Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the ticket strip so formed.

String-ticket strip 11' of Fig. 8 differs from that of Fig. 6 in having punched or die-cut vertical notches or slots 16, 17, and 18 located at the top, middle, and bottom, respectively,- along the vertical bisector between each pair of tabs. Each top slot interrupts the continuity of ribbon 14' and string 15' (as well as, in part, strip 12' itself). Each group of three vertical slots provides a line of demarcation between the individual string-tickets into which the strip is designed to be separated as may be done by cutting or even by folding and tearing therealong in the usual manner, which may be facilitated by additional perforation along the same line. The indicated slots also are useful as sprocket holes when a sprocket feed for the strip is employed, as when the strip is being wound into (or unwound from) roll configuration. Where it is desirable to furnish individual tickets, instead of a strip, completed strip 11 of Figs. 6 and 7 can be precut from top to bottom edge, instead of merely being perforated or slotted, as in strip 11f of Fig. 8.

No special materials are required in the construction of the string-tickets of this invention.- The large or major ticket piece may be made of suitable tag paper or the like, as may the small or minor ticket piece or facing ribbon, although the two may differ in thickness and other characteristics as may be desired. The kind and quality of string, as well as of paper or other sheet material, will be selected in accordance with theintended use. 'Of course, stronger and more durable component materials will be employed for string-tickets to be used as shipping tags or in the marking of hardware or plumbing fittings, for example, than in the ticketing of garments or other relatively light articles not to be subjected to severe handling before the ticketing will have served its purpose.

The string may be bonded in place by an adhesive having a gum base softenable through application of heat or moisture or by one of the pressure-sensitive types of adhesive, for example, depending upon use requirements and permitted cost. Instead of employing a narrow ribbon of ticket material to carry the adhesive used to face the portion of the ticket in the vicinity of the tabs and string, one may form the facing ribbon entirely of a film or film-forming material adapted to cover and adhere to the mentioned portions and then to cure or set so that its exposed surface is no longer tacky; thus, such a film may be formed by brushing or spraying an adhesive, instead of applying it already in ribbon form. If desired, the string may be secured by other means, such as stapling, but adhesive bonding of the Buttons, knobs, handles, and similar projections afford obvious places of attachment for string-tickets, as does the knitted or woven construction of textile goods.

Imprinting of the string-tickets of this invention forms no part of the invention; however, the face and back of the tickets may be provided in conventional manner with appropriate printed, stamped, or written matter. Location of the string along a narrow top margin in the tickets of this invention facilitates evenness of printing on the remaining major portion of the ticket body, which is of uniform thickness. For example, the back of a batch of such string-tickets may carry multi-colored advertising matter, while the faces of the individual tickets are annotated in plain ink with various size, style, and lot or other designations. The benefits afforded by the present invention in such use will be obvious without necessity for further explanation to one having ordinary' skill in the art;

Fig. 9 shows a modification of ticket strip according to this invention. Strip 22 is provided with a row of tabs 23 near the top edge, much as was strip 12 of the previous views, except that the spacing interval between tabs varies periodically. To facilitate identification of separate ticket pieces 21 (into which division of the strip is indicated by vertical dot-dashed lines), the tabs are grouped in pairs. The two tabs indicated as being in each ticket piece receive string 25 underneath them, but instead of crossing under the tabs the string loops outward between adjacent edges of the respective tabs in each pair, going beneath each tab only once. Of course,

bonding means, such as a facing ribbon or film, will be applied to retain the string in place (much as in the pre" shown) follows a corresponding course between the rib bon and the larger strip much as though the tabs were present in the latter as before. It will be noted that the junction of each of the tabs in Fig. 10, terminates at each of its ends in perforation or aperture 39. Such apertures provide convenient seating places for the string.

Fig. 11 shows in like view a modification of the ribbon of Fig. 10. In modified ribbon 44, each tab has been supplanted by a pair of obliquely directed slits 48 ex tending from apertures 49 between the edges of the ribbon to the bottom edge thereof and defining rudimentary flap 43 between them. Such construction may be considered to represent the result of moving the previous tab location downward until the free edge of the tabs coincides with the bottom edge of the ribbon. Fig. 12 shows in front elevation ticket strip '41 formed from imperforate strip 42 and ribbon 44 of Fig. 11, along with string 45, in analogous manner to that already illustrated and described. Both the similarities and the differences with reference to strip 11 of Fig. 7 will be readily apparent from the above description and the respective views of that strip and strip 41.

The spacing of the tabs may be varied further in a ticket strip of this invention to facilitate division of the strip into tickets of different sizes varying in sequence along the strip, as is useful Where an article (e.g., a suit of clothes) has several components to be markedrseparately but with some data in common. For that matter,

the spacing of the tabs in the twin-tab modification (of' Fig. 9) may be uniform throughout the strips, instead of'periodically'wide and narrow, as shown. Other modifications in construction may be made without involving a departure from the inventive concept here claimed.

The claimed invention:

1. A string-ticket made of flat, sheet material comprising a body portion, a sealing strip portion adhesively applied to the face of said body portion, tab means cut into one of said portions adjacent and in spaced relation to the top edge of said body portion and facing away from said top edge, and a continuous string extending from each flanking side edge of said body portion across the face thereof in spaced relation to said top edge with the intermediate portion of the string engaged by said tab means and then extending upwardly across the face of said body portion to and beyond said top edge to form a ticket-attaching loop.

2. The string-ticket defined in claim 1, wherein said tab means is cut in said sealing strip.

3. The string-ticket defined in claim 1, wherein said tab means comprises two tabs, and said continuous string extends from each flanking side edge of said body portion to engage one tab and then extends from the inner edges of said tabs upwardly across the face of said body portion to and beyond said top edge to form a ticketattaching loop.

4. A string-ticket made of flat, sheet material comprising a body portion, a tab cut into the body portion adjacent and in spaced relation to the top edge thereof and facing away from said top edge, a continuous string extending from each flanking side edge of the body portion across the face thereof in spaced relation to said top edge with the intermediate portion of the string engaged under said tab and then extending upwardly across the face of said body portion to and beyond said top edge to form a ticket-attaching loop, and a sealing strip adhesively applied to the face of said body portion and extending over said tab and the portions of the string lying against said face, whereby said sealing strip retains said string in engagement wth said tab, seals the tab to said body portion, and anchors to said body portion the portions of the string lying across the face thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 350,149 Parmer Oct. 5, 1886 1,005,894 Senseman Oct. 17, 1911 1,194,508 Kohnle Aug. 15, 1916 2,085,070 Bender June 29, 1937 2,799,104 Griesinger July 16, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 874,985 Germany Apr. 30, 1953 

